The Boy
by Hawkeyeisbae
Summary: Since the day they parted, Tony has watched over the boy. They've never spoken, not since their parting of ways. But Tony never could forget about him. So he watched Harley from afar. Now as Tony sits in a conference room full of people, waiting to do the same, he thinks back on just how much the boy means to him.


Tony takes his seat in the large auditorium. He has to admit, even he's impressed the Kid has filled the place. He sees the kid's mom closer to the stage, his younger sister sitting beside her. She's not so little anymore, while he never met her while staying in the Kid's garage. He had seen pictures. He feels his throat get slightly choked up, as if she were his own daughter all grown up. He quickly clears his throat, it won't do any good to be rendered speechless, not at something as important as this. His eyes search for the kid, who isn't much of a kid anymore. He finds him, tucked away in the wings of the stage. A stage hand works attaching a microphone to his vest, while his teacher preps him. The kid must feel his eyes because he looks right at Tony, who quickly ducks his gaze. He wishes he had a baseball cap to hide underneath.

It's been years since Tony's been to anything like this. It's been years really since he's been out in public. After everything that went down with Steve, he hadn't been able to stomach large crowds. It drives Pepper raving mad, but he just doesn't have it in him to face people. After a few years, she stopped trying to get him to leave the house for things like award dinners, or conferences. Only on special occasions such as birthdays and holidays did she ever force him out the door, and on those days, it didn't require much force.

The Kid, has been the one exception to his seclusion. He's kept tabs on him since the day he left him in Tennessee.

 _The location is Tennessee's state middle school science fair. FRIDAY had found mention of the Kid's name in a local paper. He'd designed something and was predicted to take first prize. Despite still trying to clean up from Ultron, Tony had driven for almost two days to make it to the event. He had honestly been impressed when he'd seen the layout, most of the inventions were mediocre, but still more advanced than most kid in Junior High could produced. It was a start for their young minds. But then there had been the inventions that had made him goggle. Then he had gotten to the kid's invention._

 _The kid had made a nano-drone, he had read the write up and design plans and quickly realized that he'd made it using technology mimicking his own suit's. Not at all mad for the kid using his ideas to make something new, he had been impressed that he had known enough about the program to make a copy once the suit was no longer around. When he had viewed the device, the kid had been talking to a judge, but had seen him there. He had gone to say his name, but Tony had motioned for him to not say a word. At the moment he was just a mechanic, viewing new technology that might one day change his world. He wasn't Tony Stark, and he didn't want to steal the spotlight from the kids. All he wanted to do was support Harley. So the kid had stayed silent until the judge had left, then had come over to talk to Tony who was playing with the drone._

" _Nice work, kid." He had said before walking off. He stayed for the presentation of the awards, Harley got first place. Tony cheered from the shadows. He'd then donated scholarship for the top three winners, the fact that Harley was one of them he tried to convince himself was just a coincidence._

Tony ducks his head as a particularly ruthless reporter walks by. So far no one knows he's here tonight and he wants to keep it that way. He's not about to take away Harley's spotlight.

 _Four years after the science fair, Harley's achieved great things throughout his high school career. In four months, Tony knows for a fact that he'll attend MIT, thanks mostly to Tony personally setting scholarship fund at the school for the Kid. He hadn't bought the Kid's way into the school, no Harley had gained acceptance all on his own, Tony was just footing the bill of his education to make sure there was no reason he couldn't attend. But before he can step his first foot on the campus, the Kid has to graduate high school._

 _So, Tony, once again finds himself in Tennessee. He sits in the back of the school gym, he knows for a fact he could probably have gotten better seating and a keynote presentation if he had wanted too, but he hadn't even told the Kid he'd be there. So he had slipped in with the masses, a ballcap and hoodie on to shield his identity, he'd sat down away from anyone else._

 _He watches in pride as the Kid marches down the aisleway, leading his class. He's achieved every academic honor possible, and is validictorian. When the Kid delivers his speech for his peers, Tony beams with the pride of a father. An old man sitting by asks him if he's related to the kid. He had replied with, "Yeah, that's my kid."_

 _After the ceremony, he'd found the Kid standing all by himself. His friends had dispersed to celebrate with their families, Harley's own family hadn't been able to make it. Tony guessed his mom hadn't been able to get off work, his sister was with her boyfriend and his father still hadn't returned from getting smokes. Reminded of being alone at his own high school graduation, Tony had broken his promise to himself not to talk to the kid. He'd gone over and ruffled the Kid's hair up._

" _Nice speech today, Kid. A little sappy for my tastes, still decent though."_

" _You cried, didn't you." The Kid's eyes had narrowed right in on Tony's slightly reddened eyes._

" _Nah, you're flattering yourself. Not a good look on you. Wipe that smirk off your face before I make you wipe it off."_

" _I'm glad you came, Tony." The boy had said suddenly serious._

" _Yeah, well, make sure you waste more of my time in another four years when you graduate from MIT."_

" _I never…."_

" _We're connected, Harley." Was all Tony had said before walking off toward his car. He didn't look back until he was safely closed inside. He watched as the Kid waved, before running off to meet up with his sister._

The Kid walks out onto the stage. The room is filled with many admirable engineers, scientists and investors, all here to hear about Harley's newest accomplishment. The only noise is the sound of collective breathing as Harley prepares himself to speak.

"I'm amazed, to this day, that I've made it this far in life. There was once a time in my life, as I'm sure there was once a time in all of your lives, when I thought I wasn't worth much. I'd always been told that there was someone else better than me in life. And for some reason I believed that lie for a very long time. It wasn't until I met a person, who I'll never name, but you all know that my mind was changed."

"You see, I was only a few days over ten when I went out to my garage to find that someone had broken in. Naturally, I ran back inside and came back out with the only weapon I owned at the time, a potato gun. For some idiotic reason, I engaged with the trespasser, only to find out that he was a man that I greatly admired. For some other idiotic reason, he took a liking to me. The next few days, were some of the most thrilling day I've ever lived. Without permission to disclose the details of those events, I won't. But I will say one thing, that was the moment my life changed. You see, that man I admired, who was on my only pedestal, saw value in me. He listened to my ideas, and even used some to solve his problems. It is because of that man, I stand before you today with my latest invention."

"Since the days of Iron Man and Iron Patriot, this world hasn't seen the the type of technology that has the capability of making an ordinary man an undefeatable hero. That is until today. Admittedly, I have borrowed some of Tony and Howard Stark's ideas and technology to make this possible. The Arc Reactor, many of you may know it as the clean energy source that powers the Iron Man suit, others may know it as the device that powers most of STARK technology. What most of you do not know, and what I venture Tony Stark himself doesn't know, is that the Arc Reactor barely taps the potential of the element known as Starkium." Tony is drawn into the presentation, completely and utterly as captivated as the other scientists. By the end, he fully ready to have Pepper fund the boy's project and has already started filling out the necessary forms. He only looks up from the paperwork when he notices a pair of shoes has stopped in front of him.

"I don't know if you remember me…" It had been years since Tony had seen the Kid. Like promised he had gone to his MIT graduation, and even a few of his presentations pre-graduation, but he had never again talked to the Kid. Tony knows that he's changed the Kid's life, more than once, but the Kid doesn't know just how much he's affected Tony's. "But, I'm Harley Keener. I'm the kid whose place you crashed in Tennessee about ten years ago. You changed my life. I just wanted you to know that. And I hope you don't mind, but for years, I've thought of you as the only father figure I've ever needed."

"Are you guilt tripping me for not talking to you earlier?" Tony asks, not believing for a moment the Kid is doing anything else.

"It was worth a try, Tony." The kid broke out into the shit eating grin Tony loved to see.

"Yeah, well next time, try harder." Tony said, standing up. He begins walking off, he only stops when Harley calls after him.

"Hey, Tony. You like the presentation." Tony turned around to see the Kid chewing the inside of his lip nervously.

"Yeah, Kid, it was brilliant. Kind of surprised you had it in you."

"Wow, was that a compliment."

"Take it as whatever you want, but don't ever expect to hear the words out of my mouth again. You understand?"

"Sure, Tony." Tony begins walking away, after several steps he stops and looks over his shoulder.

"Hey, Kid."

"What?"

"If it helps, you're the only son I've ever needed." And with that Tony had walked out of the room.

Six months later, over christmas dinner, Harley and his family nearly die of laughter as Pepper reaccounts various old embarrassing stories of Tony. Tony laughs along with them. Later in the night they go caroling with Harley's mother's church. Pepper has always wanted to go, and for the first time in many years Tony doesn't mind going out in crowds. He even wears his Iron Man suit.


End file.
